Republic Wireless, the Southwest Airlines of Mobility

I kind of feel about most cell phone companies the way I do about most airlines. I feel a certain sense of being worked over when I fly, especially when I have to make a last minute change, and I feel worked over when I used to receive my $150 + cell phone bill from Verizon wireless every month. I felt used and abused, and when my data went over my limit, it was not a pleasant time to see the higher bill. Worst of all, I was locked into a long term contract with a phone that was obsolete before I bought it, but on the “approved” list from my company.

Recently, I’ve left Verizon, and transferred my phone number over a Republic Wireless. In dealing with Republic, I have become more than a customer, I have become a fan and a cheerleader.

Republic Wireless is the Southwest Airlines of the mobile phone industry, and they are going to be a disruptor. Big guys, take notice. If you don’t, you will face a fate like that of the big airlines.

Like Southwest Airlines, Republic cuts costs through standardization. On Southwest, you know you’ll be riding in a 737, a practical workhorse to get you from A to B. On Republic, the flagship phone is the Moto X, and your choices are black or white. This is a step up from the Defy XT, which Republic offered in the past (and still offers(, and is the missing piece that Republic needed to achieve greatness. The Moto X would be the phone that I would have bought anyway. It’s not the fastest, bestest phone, but it’s a very solid and reliable performer which has a great feel and very good performance. So I’m double happy to see it as the 737 of Republic Wireless. At $299 with no commitment, the price is fair, as both the customer and Republic are putting skin in the game.

Republic also has simple pricing plans. For the Moto X, there are four pricing plans, starting at $5 month and going to $40 month. This is a big contrast to the mixed up set of plans and “discounts” that other cell companies offer. The amazing thing is that the 3G and 4G plans offer 5 GB per month of data usage, with amnesty if you go over your limit once every six months. This is unheard of, and it makes me want to use a word that I’ve never used to describe a cell phone contract, FAIR!

Like Southwest, Republic does things their own way. Calls on Republic wireless are sent over WIFI whenever possible, and shifted to Sprint’s network when WIFI isn’t available, and finally, Verizon is used for roaming. (The sound quality is very good, if not quite that of cell service. I’ll talk more about that in my next post, and have an unboxing video as well.)

One of the things that Republic and Southwest both realize is that it doesn’t cost any more to have fun. And because of that attitude, they’ve been able to gather communities of people who are fanatics about their services. In this area, I think Republic has even surpassed SWA, as Republic has a very vibrant community over social media and in their user forums. I have never waited more than 15 minutes to get a response from someone else in the community on a question.

If you want to hear about my first hand experience with Republic and the Moto X, check out my next article. But, if you want to try it out for yourself, they offer a 30 day money back guarantee. And if you have any questions, give me a call on my Republic wireless phone at 410-740-3490, or drop me an email at paul@paulmisner.com.